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The young girl on Fourth Street was not Terry’s first accuser, however.

In 2002 two 9-year-old girls claimed he had fondled them at a Cub Scout function in Boca Raton. Two years later, a 5-year-old girl in suburban Boca Raton claimed he molested her in her bedroom.

In both cases, state prosecutors decided not to press charges.

First there were the molestation allegations on Southwest Fourth Street. Then came the ugly arrest.

But the least popular man on the block these days isn’t the one accused of molesting a child. It’s the father of the accuser.

On this Boca Raton street, long-time neighbors say they’ve known Wilbur Dean Terry, charged with molesting a 4-year-old girl, as kind and helpful, someone they know and trust.

The girl’s father, on the other hand, is not so well-liked. And he permitted a protest in front of his home this week that drew two dozen out-of-towners, three television stations, two newspapers — and the ire of his neighbors.

“Believe it or not, 90 percent of the people here are against me,” said the father. “I don’t want to live here because of it. It’s sad.”

The protest, organized by a Broward County advocacy group that canvassed the street with fliers beforehand, only set the fault lines on Southwest Fourth Street deeper. Not a single neighbor attended.

And some on this quiet street of basketball hoops and barrel tile roofs have offered to serve as character witnesses for Terry if his case goes to trial.

While Terry has been investigated at least twice previously on molestation charges, neighbors are quick to say that he hasn’t been convicted of anything, and that he’s been a good neighbor for more than a decade. He was not arrested or charged in the previous two cases.

“To me it’s b.s.,” said John Nero, a neighbor. “I’ve known him 12 years. I don’t believe everything that’s being said.”

It’s a reminder that loyalties on suburban streets don’t always follow a Hollywood script – and that the messy polarizing effects of an arrest can play out in unpredictable ways.

Some of the underlying reasons are the stuff of regular neighborhood politics. The accuser’s father was disliked by many of his neighbors well before he called Boca Raton police in July, saying his 4-year-old daughter had claimed Terry showed her pornographic pictures and later fondled her.

On the other hand Terry, a 43-year-old screening contractor, was a popular figure. He had lived on the street longer than the accuser’s father and was quick to give his neighbors a hand with yard work and fix-it jobs.

“He’d help you in a minute,” said Donnie Lowell, a former studio pianist who has lived next door to Terry for more than a decade. “I can’t say anything bad about him at all.”

Terry and his wife were also friends of the accuser’s father and family. The father said his young girl would often go to Terry’s house to play with Terry’s son.

That ended with Terry’s arrest and the revelation that he had pornography on his home computer as the girl had claimed.

But the fact that Terry was well liked, while the father of his accuser was not, has affected neighbors’ view of the situation.

Investigators say acquaintances are often skeptical of allegations against accused child molesters – particularly in cases where the accuser is a young child.

“Often it goes back to what the neighbors think of the people themselves,” said Sgt. Mark Jolly of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office’s special investigations division. “They’re going to say, ‘Hey, I know them better than you know them.’ “

The young girl on Fourth Street was not Terry’s first accuser, however.

In 2002 two 9-year-old girls claimed he had fondled them at a Cub Scout function in Boca Raton. Two years later, a 5-year-old girl in suburban Boca Raton claimed he molested her in her bedroom.

In both cases, state prosecutors decided not to press charges.

Most neighbors were not aware of the details of the current investigation or the previous allegations against him. But they said they resented the father’s decision to invite television cameras to their street Monday.

Neighbor James Lynch, a retired school master, called Monday’s protesters a “vigilante group.” He said that whatever the facts, Terry will have his day in court and that until then he should have the benefit of the doubt.

“What we want is justice,” he said. “We want him treated fairly.”

“25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years”………Sarah Tofte

A Boca Raton man accused of showing pornography to a girl faces more charges.

Wilbur Dean Terry was charged with 57 additional counts Friday after police found child pornography images on his computer.

Terry was arrested in August on charges of lewd and lascivious conduct after a man accused him of showing his daughter pornographic materials.

The young girl on Fourth Street was not Terry’s first accuser, however.

In 2002 two 9-year-old girls claimed he had fondled them at a Cub Scout function in Boca Raton. Two years later, a 5-year-old girl in suburban Boca Raton claimed he molested her in her bedroom.

In both cases, state prosecutors decided not to press charges.

First there were the molestation allegations on Southwest Fourth Street. Then came the ugly arrest.

But the least popular man on the block these days isn’t the one accused of molesting a child. It’s the father of the accuser.

On this Boca Raton street, long-time neighbors say they’ve known Wilbur Dean Terry, charged with molesting a 4-year-old girl, as kind and helpful, someone they know and trust.

The girl’s father, on the other hand, is not so well-liked. And he permitted a protest in front of his home this week that drew two dozen out-of-towners, three television stations, two newspapers — and the ire of his neighbors.

“Believe it or not, 90 percent of the people here are against me,” said the father. “I don’t want to live here because of it. It’s sad.”

The protest, organized by a Broward County advocacy group that canvassed the street with fliers beforehand, only set the fault lines on Southwest Fourth Street deeper. Not a single neighbor attended.

And some on this quiet street of basketball hoops and barrel tile roofs have offered to serve as character witnesses for Terry if his case goes to trial.

While Terry has been investigated at least twice previously on molestation charges, neighbors are quick to say that he hasn’t been convicted of anything, and that he’s been a good neighbor for more than a decade. He was not arrested or charged in the previous two cases.

“To me it’s b.s.,” said John Nero, a neighbor. “I’ve known him 12 years. I don’t believe everything that’s being said.”

It’s a reminder that loyalties on suburban streets don’t always follow a Hollywood script – and that the messy polarizing effects of an arrest can play out in unpredictable ways.

Some of the underlying reasons are the stuff of regular neighborhood politics. The accuser’s father was disliked by many of his neighbors well before he called Boca Raton police in July, saying his 4-year-old daughter had claimed Terry showed her pornographic pictures and later fondled her.

On the other hand Terry, a 43-year-old screening contractor, was a popular figure. He had lived on the street longer than the accuser’s father and was quick to give his neighbors a hand with yard work and fix-it jobs.

“He’d help you in a minute,” said Donnie Lowell, a former studio pianist who has lived next door to Terry for more than a decade. “I can’t say anything bad about him at all.”

Terry and his wife were also friends of the accuser’s father and family. The father said his young girl would often go to Terry’s house to play with Terry’s son.

That ended with Terry’s arrest and the revelation that he had pornography on his home computer as the girl had claimed.

But the fact that Terry was well liked, while the father of his accuser was not, has affected neighbors’ view of the situation.

Investigators say acquaintances are often skeptical of allegations against accused child molesters – particularly in cases where the accuser is a young child.

“Often it goes back to what the neighbors think of the people themselves,” said Sgt. Mark Jolly of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office’s special investigations division. “They’re going to say, ‘Hey, I know them better than you know them.’ “

The young girl on Fourth Street was not Terry’s first accuser, however.

In 2002 two 9-year-old girls claimed he had fondled them at a Cub Scout function in Boca Raton. Two years later, a 5-year-old girl in suburban Boca Raton claimed he molested her in her bedroom.

In both cases, state prosecutors decided not to press charges.

Most neighbors were not aware of the details of the current investigation or the previous allegations against him. But they said they resented the father’s decision to invite television cameras to their street Monday.

Neighbor James Lynch, a retired school master, called Monday’s protesters a “vigilante group.” He said that whatever the facts, Terry will have his day in court and that until then he should have the benefit of the doubt.

“What we want is justice,” he said. “We want him treated fairly.”

“25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years”………Sarah Tofte

A Boca Raton man accused of showing pornography to a girl faces more charges.

Wilbur Dean Terry was charged with 57 additional counts Friday after police found child pornography images on his computer.

Terry was arrested in August on charges of lewd and lascivious conduct after a man accused him of showing his daughter pornographic materials.

“Darren Philpott hung himself, but there’s millions of Darren Philpotts in our world still. There’s tons,” Michelle said. “Darren’s just one of many.”

“This is how I see it. When I capture their image – I capture a piece of time that not even there own mommy’s will have. They stay young forever, just for us pedos . . . The vid cam makes them our eternal slaves. They becum our property to do whatever we want too.” – written in a chat message by Darren Philpott/canuckboylover

In many ways, it began as a familiar story: A wolf in sheep’s clothing. A beloved member of the community exposed as a pedophile and predator.

But when police officers followed an electronic trail into Darren Philpott’s basement suite in northwest Regina last fall, they discovered something far larger than they could possibly have imagined: more than three million pornographic images involving hundreds – even thousands – of child victims, and deep connections to the trade of child pornography around the world.

But Philpott was not just a collector. Some of the images show him sexually abusing children. Videos he made show young children naked, filmed without their knowledge in the locker rooms of swimming pools in Regina, and at Philpott’s home.

It’s been called the biggest child-exploitation investigation in Saskatchewan, and its scope may make history nationwide by the time the case is finally completed. Internationally, Interpol, the FBI and the United States Department of Homeland Security are all involved in various aspects of the investigation.

Within weeks of Philpott’s arrest on child pornography charges in October 2007, the popular youth mentor, minister, Big Brother and coach faced new charges for sexually abusing children. Months later, more charges were laid for child sexual abuse, voyeurism and making and sharing child pornography, and Philpott was expecting still more charges. Sources say the 38-year-old was considering a plea deal for life in prison.

Instead, Philpott chose death. He hanged himself inside a shower room at the Regina Correctional Centre two months ago.

Philpott’s charges were unceremoniously stayed in court a few days after his death, and the Crown’s file is now formally closed.

But it is not over.

At Regina’s Integrated Child Exploitation Unit, police investigators continue to work hard on the case, and will likely be doing so for many years. Officers continue to painstakingly examine each photo and video in Philpott’s collection, trying to identify more of Philpott’s victims, looking for locations, other offenders, and clues that may be of use in the ongoing fight against child sexual abuse around the globe.

Many of children hurt by Philpott continue to be affected by his actions, not only because they were sexually abused by a mentor and friend, but because graphic evidence of that abuse continues to circulate around the world.

Pornographic images of children from Regina already have been found in the course of other investigations outside the country, and more pictures and videos undoubtedly continue to move through the Internet. Many child victims – and their parents – don’t even know the images are out there.

But Philpott had plenty of opportunities to put his collection together. He spent months, sometimes years, building up trust with young people and their families, and the extent to which he manipulated his child victims may never be known.

Some he coerced. Others appear to have been threatened, even drugged.

“Mr. Philpott placed himself in every aspect of the community, into every organization or environment where children were involved,” said Crown prosecutor Loreley Berra at Philpott’s bail hearing.

By 2007, Philpott had been involved with the Big Brother organization for 25 years, starting out as a Little Brother in Winnipeg when he was 13, then moving on to be a Big Brother throughout his adult life. He slipped through screening that included multiple reference and character checks, a criminal record search, interviews with case workers, and informal monitoring.

For Laura (not her real name), whose son was sexually assaulted by Philpott just over a year ago, the horror she has experienced did not end with Philpott’s death.

“I’m glad he’s dead, but I also don’t think he suffered enough,” she said. “He’s just ruined so many kids’ and families’ lives. It doesn’t just destroy a child, it destroys a whole family.”

A video of her seven-year-old boy has already been found during a child pornography investigation in California, and Laura says she’s received strange phone calls from men in the United States.

Michelle (not her real name), too, finds limited comfort in the fact that Philpott is no longer a physical threat to her family.

Her son is still struggling with being molested by his former mentor and friend, and the boy is deeply angry that he was fooled by someone he trusted. “Darren Philpott hung himself, but there’s millions of Darren Philpotts in our world still. There’s tons,” Michelle said. “Darren’s just one of many.”

“Darren Philpott hung himself, but there’s millions of Darren Philpotts in our world still. There’s tons,” Michelle said. “Darren’s just one of many.”

“This is how I see it. When I capture their image – I capture a piece of time that not even there own mommy’s will have. They stay young forever, just for us pedos . . . The vid cam makes them our eternal slaves. They becum our property to do whatever we want too.” – written in a chat message by Darren Philpott/canuckboylover

In many ways, it began as a familiar story: A wolf in sheep’s clothing. A beloved member of the community exposed as a pedophile and predator.

But when police officers followed an electronic trail into Darren Philpott’s basement suite in northwest Regina last fall, they discovered something far larger than they could possibly have imagined: more than three million pornographic images involving hundreds – even thousands – of child victims, and deep connections to the trade of child pornography around the world.

But Philpott was not just a collector. Some of the images show him sexually abusing children. Videos he made show young children naked, filmed without their knowledge in the locker rooms of swimming pools in Regina, and at Philpott’s home.

It’s been called the biggest child-exploitation investigation in Saskatchewan, and its scope may make history nationwide by the time the case is finally completed. Internationally, Interpol, the FBI and the United States Department of Homeland Security are all involved in various aspects of the investigation.

Within weeks of Philpott’s arrest on child pornography charges in October 2007, the popular youth mentor, minister, Big Brother and coach faced new charges for sexually abusing children. Months later, more charges were laid for child sexual abuse, voyeurism and making and sharing child pornography, and Philpott was expecting still more charges. Sources say the 38-year-old was considering a plea deal for life in prison.

Instead, Philpott chose death. He hanged himself inside a shower room at the Regina Correctional Centre two months ago.

Philpott’s charges were unceremoniously stayed in court a few days after his death, and the Crown’s file is now formally closed.

But it is not over.

At Regina’s Integrated Child Exploitation Unit, police investigators continue to work hard on the case, and will likely be doing so for many years. Officers continue to painstakingly examine each photo and video in Philpott’s collection, trying to identify more of Philpott’s victims, looking for locations, other offenders, and clues that may be of use in the ongoing fight against child sexual abuse around the globe.

Many of children hurt by Philpott continue to be affected by his actions, not only because they were sexually abused by a mentor and friend, but because graphic evidence of that abuse continues to circulate around the world.

Pornographic images of children from Regina already have been found in the course of other investigations outside the country, and more pictures and videos undoubtedly continue to move through the Internet. Many child victims – and their parents – don’t even know the images are out there.

But Philpott had plenty of opportunities to put his collection together. He spent months, sometimes years, building up trust with young people and their families, and the extent to which he manipulated his child victims may never be known.

Some he coerced. Others appear to have been threatened, even drugged.

“Mr. Philpott placed himself in every aspect of the community, into every organization or environment where children were involved,” said Crown prosecutor Loreley Berra at Philpott’s bail hearing.

By 2007, Philpott had been involved with the Big Brother organization for 25 years, starting out as a Little Brother in Winnipeg when he was 13, then moving on to be a Big Brother throughout his adult life. He slipped through screening that included multiple reference and character checks, a criminal record search, interviews with case workers, and informal monitoring.

For Laura (not her real name), whose son was sexually assaulted by Philpott just over a year ago, the horror she has experienced did not end with Philpott’s death.

“I’m glad he’s dead, but I also don’t think he suffered enough,” she said. “He’s just ruined so many kids’ and families’ lives. It doesn’t just destroy a child, it destroys a whole family.”

A video of her seven-year-old boy has already been found during a child pornography investigation in California, and Laura says she’s received strange phone calls from men in the United States.

Michelle (not her real name), too, finds limited comfort in the fact that Philpott is no longer a physical threat to her family.

Her son is still struggling with being molested by his former mentor and friend, and the boy is deeply angry that he was fooled by someone he trusted. “Darren Philpott hung himself, but there’s millions of Darren Philpotts in our world still. There’s tons,” Michelle said. “Darren’s just one of many.”

A former Upper Pottsgrove man who has a previous conviction for corrupting minors has admitted to possessing child pornography on his home computer equipment.

Joel Gardner, 34, formerly of the 1400 block of Chestnut Grove Road, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to felony charges of sexual abuse of children, possessing child pornography, in connection with a July 2008 incident.

The open plea means prosecutors have no deals with Gardner regarding his potential punishment.

Judge William R. Carpenter deferred sentencing so that probation officials can complete a background investigative report about Gardner. The judge will use that report to assist him in sentencing Gardner at a later date.

Gardner, who most recently listed an address along Willowwood Drive in Douglassville, faces a possible maximum sentence of 10½ to 21 years in prison on the charges.

Gardner, who remains in prison without bail pending sentencing, also must be evaluated by the Pennsylvania Sexual Offender Assessment Board to determine if he meets criteria under the state’s Megan’s Law to be declared a sexually violent predator. Those deemed to be predators face more stringent restrictions under Megan’s Law including a lifetime requirement to report their addresses to state police once they’re released from prison and mandatory counseling.

Court documents indicate county probation officials visited Gardner’s Chestnut Grove Road home on July 28 and seized computer equipment that contained hundreds of child pornographic images. The images depicted girls who appeared to be between 8 and 12 years old, according to the arrest affidavit.

Some of the images depicted children under 13 either engaged in a sex act or showing their genitals, the criminal complaint alleged.

At the time of his arrest, Gardner was serving probation in connection with a September 2006 conviction of a misdemeanor charge of corruption of a minor. Gardner had been sentenced to three years’ probation on Sept. 12, 2006, according to court records.

In the 2006 case, Upper Pottsgrove police alleged Gardner approached a 16-year-old girl who worked at a local fast-food restaurant on Jan. 21, 2006, and offered to pay her $100 if she would have sex with him or get nude for him, according to an arrest affidavit.

The girl went to police told authorities that Gardner had come to the restaurant on numerous occasions since 2005 and harassed her with talk of a sexual nature and slapped her on the butt, according to the arrest affidavit.

Gardner’s latest child porn arrest represented a violation of his previous probation and he faces having to serve up to four years in back prison time for violating the 2006 probation.

A 45-year-old Level 3 sex offender living on Erickson Road was arrested and charged with two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14.

Brian K. Racine of 246 Erickson Road was arrested Wednesday after a joint investigation with the Ashby Police Department, the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office and the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families.

Police said Mr. Racine knew the victim.

Mr. Racine is a Level 3 sex offender, the designation given to those most likely to re-offend.

He is being held without bail pending a hearing this week.

Mr. Racine was convicted in 1983 of raping a boy and indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 years old.

In 2003, Mr. Racine pleaded guilty to two federal charges of possessing hundreds of images of homoerotic child pornography, some of which depicted children under the age of 2.

Mr. Racine was sentenced to serve more than three years and five months in a North Carolina prison designed for treating sex offenders.

His prison term was to have been followed by three years of supervised release, and he was ordered to register with the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry, undergo sex offender counseling and treatment, and treatment for depression and bipolar disorder.

A 45-year-old Level 3 sex offender living on Erickson Road was arrested and charged with two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14.

Brian K. Racine of 246 Erickson Road was arrested Wednesday after a joint investigation with the Ashby Police Department, the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office and the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families.

Police said Mr. Racine knew the victim.

Mr. Racine is a Level 3 sex offender, the designation given to those most likely to re-offend.

He is being held without bail pending a hearing this week.

Mr. Racine was convicted in 1983 of raping a boy and indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 years old.

In 2003, Mr. Racine pleaded guilty to two federal charges of possessing hundreds of images of homoerotic child pornography, some of which depicted children under the age of 2.

Mr. Racine was sentenced to serve more than three years and five months in a North Carolina prison designed for treating sex offenders.

His prison term was to have been followed by three years of supervised release, and he was ordered to register with the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry, undergo sex offender counseling and treatment, and treatment for depression and bipolar disorder.

A Columbia man with a felony conviction of sexual abuse of a minor was arrested Friday after allegedly taking pictures on a cell phone of sexual acts he had with a 16-year-old girl.

A caretaker of the girl allegedly found the photographs Friday on the cell phone of Preston W. Childs and contacted Columbia police, Sgt. Chris Kelley said. The caretaker turned the phone over to investigators.

Childs, 30, of 3110 Alpine Drive, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree statutory sodomy, sexual exploitation of a minor and failure to register a change of address as a sex offender. He remained last night at the Boone County Jail, with bond set at $75,000.

Kelley said the cell phone images were taken during the past two weeks. He described Childs and the victim as acquaintances. It is unknown whether Childs distributed the images.

Childs pleaded guilty in 2003 in Howell County to second-degree attempted statutory rape and was sentenced to five years in prison, according to online court records. He is listed as a registered sex offender using a Worley Street address with the Boone County Sheriff’s Department and Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Date of Birth Used: March 1, 1946 Place of Birth: New Mexico Hair: Gray/BrownEyes: HazelHeight: 5’10” Complexion: MediumWeight: 165 pounds Sex: MaleBuild: Medium Race: WhiteOccupations: Semi-Truck Driver, Mechanic, Forklift Driver, Ranch Handler Nationality: AmericanScars and Marks: None knownRemarks: Harper reportedly subscribed to Sovereign Citizen ideology and claimed to be a member of the Montana Freemen, a group involved in domestic terrorism activities. He has family ties to Arkansas and may have lived and worked in Wyoming and Montana.

CAUTION

EDWARD EUGENE HARPER IS WANTED FOR HIS ALLEGED INVOLVEMENT IN SEXUAL BEHAVIOR WITH TWO GIRLS, AGES 3 AND 8, IN MISSISSIPPI. THE GIRLS LIVED NEAR HARPER AND REPORTEDLY VISITED HIM AT HIS HOME. HARPER WAS CHARGED WITH SEX CRIMES AND ARRESTED. HARPER WAS RELEASED ON BOND, BUT HE FAILED TO APPEAR FOR A COURT HEARING IN 1994, AND HIS BOND WAS REVOKED.

REWARD

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading directly to the arrest of Edward Eugene Harper.

CONSIDERED DANGEROUS

IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS PERSON, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL FBI OFFICE OR THE NEAREST U.S. EMBASSY OR CONSULATE.

Date of Birth Used: March 1, 1946 Place of Birth: New Mexico Hair: Gray/BrownEyes: HazelHeight: 5’10” Complexion: MediumWeight: 165 pounds Sex: MaleBuild: Medium Race: WhiteOccupations: Semi-Truck Driver, Mechanic, Forklift Driver, Ranch Handler Nationality: AmericanScars and Marks: None knownRemarks: Harper reportedly subscribed to Sovereign Citizen ideology and claimed to be a member of the Montana Freemen, a group involved in domestic terrorism activities. He has family ties to Arkansas and may have lived and worked in Wyoming and Montana.

CAUTION

EDWARD EUGENE HARPER IS WANTED FOR HIS ALLEGED INVOLVEMENT IN SEXUAL BEHAVIOR WITH TWO GIRLS, AGES 3 AND 8, IN MISSISSIPPI. THE GIRLS LIVED NEAR HARPER AND REPORTEDLY VISITED HIM AT HIS HOME. HARPER WAS CHARGED WITH SEX CRIMES AND ARRESTED. HARPER WAS RELEASED ON BOND, BUT HE FAILED TO APPEAR FOR A COURT HEARING IN 1994, AND HIS BOND WAS REVOKED.

REWARD

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading directly to the arrest of Edward Eugene Harper.

CONSIDERED DANGEROUS

IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS PERSON, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL FBI OFFICE OR THE NEAREST U.S. EMBASSY OR CONSULATE.